Hat box



NOV. 14, 1961 R. M. VAN DoREN HAT BOX Filed April 8, 1959 @au FH-EHE- INVENTOR. RUTH M. VAN DoREN Q BY Q ai @1% nited States ratent `ice 3,008,568 HAT BOX Filed Apr. 8, 1959, Ser. No. 804,903

4 Claims. (Cl. 206-8) This invention relates -to a hat box for storing a' plurality of hats in readily accessible condition, and it is an object of the invention to provide an improved hat box of that character for .the Stor-age of womenshats'and the like. v

Previously known hat boxes have had various objectionable characteristics such as a lack of easy accessibility to the hats stored therein, failure to provide protection to the hats to prevent them from being dented vand from becoming entangled with each other,insutlicient capacity, and excessive size relative to the number of hats thatcan properly be-'received therein. In contrast to previously known hatboxes, a hat box constructed in accordance with the present invention provides proper storage for a plurality of hats, protects the hats against crushing, prevents entanglement of the hats, and provides quick visibility and easy accessibility to each hat stored therein Without disturbing the others. At the same time, the invention Vprovides for storage and protection of a substantial number of hats within an enclosure of reasonable dimensions.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hat box incorporating means'for supporting a plurality of hats therein in readily accessible positions. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hat box having a readily openable and closable door and rotatable hat supporting means within the Ibox by means of which any one of a plurality of hats carried by the rotatable support means may quickly and selectively be brought adjacent the open door for observation or removal.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved hat box including rotatable hat supporting means in which the individual hat supporting means are adjustably positioned to permit reception of hats of various shapes. Another object ofthe invention is to provide an improved hat box incorporating hat supporting means for a plurality of hats, the hat supporting means being so constructed and arranged that a brim portion of each hat supported thereon may nest within the crown of an adjacent hat, thereby causing the hats to occupy a minimum of space. Y

It is still another object of the invention to provide an improved hat box having means by which any one of the hats within the box may be moved to a position for convenient removal Without any of the other hats in the box being touched by the hands. y

Further features of the invention pertain to the arrangement of 4the elements of the hat box, whereby the above outlined and additional features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of opera-tion, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description of one embodiment of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

wherein:

FIGURE l is apers'pective view of a hat'box incorporating the present invention; FIG. 2 is a leftside elevational view of the same hat 3,008,568 Patented Nov.v 14, 1961 4-4 of FIGQ lportions of thehubmember being shown' in cross-Section.

vI n'the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the `hat box includes a bottom wall 11, three upstanding xed side walls'12, 13'and 14, a door 15, and a top lwall 16 which preferably may also be opened if desired. The v door 15 includes a window 17 through which-the interior of the box may be observed when theV hat box is closed. A clasp 18 of any sui-table type secures an upper flange 15a ofthe door 15vto the top wall 16 so a's to maintain the hat box tightly closed. The top wall 16 ispreferably providedwith downturned edge flanges 16a whichv overlay lthe Ysidewalls 12 and 14 to' preventA the entrance of dust into the box". l

yThe enclosure, describedabove may be formed of any I suitablematerial and, ifr desired, `may be fabricated of a mitting the desired' `hinge action of the-top cover along the rear edge 16d thereof and the proper hinge action of the door along the lower edge 15a thereof. The window 17 'may consistof a clear -plastic lm cemented across the' opening of the'door 15 in the interest of economy but may comprise a pane of glass. In either case, the glass or plastic may be secured directly to the frame of the door 15. Other satisfactory materials for constructionv of the enclosure will be apparent to those skilled inthe art.

Where a relatively light material is employed iu the construction of the enclosure, the bottom wall 11 thereof` is preferably reinforced 'by a plate` `21 of Wood or heavy berboard, this plate being secured to the bottom wall 11 by adhesive or by suitable fasteners such as rivets'.I An upstanding post 22 is secured to the plate 21 lat the center of the box by adhesive or by suitable fastenersv such as nails -or screws, and a rotatable hub 23 is Vsupported upon the top of the post Mend is maintainedI in alignment therewith by an axially arranged pin24 Which'is set into the post 22 and the hub 23, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. 'I'he pin 24 may be loosely received within :the post 22 or the hub 23, or both, Vso as to permit easy rotation of the hub 23 about the axis of the pin and about the axis of the post.

, As seen best in FIG. 4, the hub 23 is provided with Va plurality of pairs of transverse openings 25 extending justable mounting of hat supporting elements on the hub 23, as will presently bedescribed. `Pour radially arranged hat supporting elements 30 are provided' in the presently illustrated embodiment of the invention. Each element includes a pad 3f1 of soft material box with the near side wall thereof removed and with the interior apparatus shown partially in cross-section;

FIG. 3 is a plan View o f the same hat box with the top cover broken away; and, l

l FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of a central hub member, viewedin the direction of the arrows on the line such as sponge rubber, which is of such shape as to enter a crown ofa hat and'provide soft, non-slipping support for a hat. It will be understood that the pads 31 need` a pair of arms 34 (see FIGS. 2, and 3). The arms 34 are ,s so spaced as to permit convenient reception of the free ends thereof into a'pair of openings 25 or 26'in the hub 23. The pad 31, and in particular that portion of the pad arranged radially inwardly of the slit 31a, may be 4wider than the spacing between the arms 34 such that it is compressed therebetween, as clearly seen in FIG. 2. The arrangement of the U-shaped portion 33 of the wire frame 3-2 within the slit 31a, and the compression of the radially inner portion of the pad between the arms 34, firmly anchors the pad to the Wire frame. It will be understood that in assembling a wire frame anda pad, one arm 34 of the wire frame is thrust through the slit 31a in the pad, after which the wire frame is twisted with respect to the pad to draw the U-shaped portion 33 l of the -Wire frame into the slit 31a, it being further understood, however, that other forms of pads 31 may be employed and that the particular manner in which the pads are mounted upon the radiating arms of the supports 3-2 may vary accordingly. In any event, however, the U- shaped portion 33 of each wire frame is suitably bent or each pad 31 -is so shaped that the pad itself is disposed angularly with respect to the radially directed arms 34, as best seen in FIG. 3.

The two arms 34 of a wire frame 32 may be inserted into a pair of openings 2S or 26 at any desired height, and the arms 34 of another wire frame may then be inserted into a pair of openings 25 yor 26 at any level except that occupied by the arms of the wire frame of any previously installed hat supporting element 30u Accordingly, where four hat supporting elements are arranged in one hat box, it is necessary in the present embodiment that they be at four slightly diifering levels. However, the openings 25 and 26 are preferably closely spaced vertically of each other such that there is little difference in the level of the four hat supporting elements. As an alternate construction, however, it will readily be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the arms 34 need not extend so deeply into the openings 25 and 26 so that the arms of the supports may be .disposed at two levels or, if desired, all at the same level.

Four hats may be arranged on the four hat supporting elements 30 in the manner suggested in FIG. 3. By virtuey of the fact that the hub 23 and the hat supporting elements mounted thereon are rotatable about a. vertical axis, any of the four hats arranged within the box may be brought to a position adjacent the door '15, such that any selected hat becomes readily accsible through the door without the necessity of opening the top wall 16. The enclosure or volume of the hat box is permitted to be of substantially reduced dimensions .or value by virtue of the fact that the hat lsupporting pads 31 are oriented angularly with respect to the radial arms 34 so that a brim portion of each hat may nest within the crown of a hat supported on an adjacent hat supporting element, in the rmanner illustrated in IFIG. 3. More specifically, the hat supporting elements are so oriented with respect to the hub memberv 23|,that the planes of the brims of -hats supported thereby .deviate substantially, and all in the same sense, from perpendicularity to lines extending radially from the axisof the hub member and intersecting the centers of the hats.

It will be observed that the present khat box provides storage for a plurality of hats, protects the hats against crushing, prevents entanglement of the hats, and provides quick visibility and accessibility of each hat stored therein. At the same time, yit provides for storage and protection of a substantial number of hats within an enclosure of reasonable dimensions. Furthermore, the hat supporting elements 30 are adjustable vertically with re spect to the box and radially with respect to the hub 23. The wire frames may also be bent .to alter the vertical tilting, or to alter or adjust the nesting eiect of the hats supported thereby. The .hat box is thereby adjustable vto hats of various, mixed Vsizes and shapes. l

In rotating the hub 23 upon the upper end of post 22 in order to bring the hats successively into position in front of the door 15, the user of the hat box may reach inside the door and propel the hub simply by pushing laterally on the successive hats supported upon the pads 31. The touching of the hats in order to cause rotation may be undesirable in some instances, however, particularly when the hats are of a delicate construction or when touching of the hats might cause them to become dirty or otherwise blemished. In order to permit rotationpof the hub 23 without touching the hats within the box, a pair of generally half-circular shaped wire frames 40 are embodied in the structure in the manner shown in the drawings. The opposite ends of each of these frames 40 are inserted into the opposite ends of the respective lowermost openings 26 in the hub- 23, the ends of the frame being wedged or otherwise suitably fixed within these openings. From the opposite ends o-f each opening 26, each wir-e frame 4l) extends downwardly generally alongside the upstanding post 22 but clear thereof to a level adjacent to but above the lplatform 21, and then radially outwardly and thencepcircumferentially, as best seen in FIG. 3, so that the two rings 40 together provided, in effect, a complete circular ring. The forward portion of the eiective circular ring provided by the two frames l40 is disposed closely adjacent the door 15 so that when the door is opened the ring may conveniently be grasped in the hand and turned, thereby causing the hub 23 to rotate to carry the hats successively to a position in front of the door opening. The frames 40 thus provide a very simple and extremely inexpensive means for permitting rotation of the hub 23 and the hat supporting means without causing the vhats within the box to be touched.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. A hat box for storing a plurality of hats each including a hollow crown and a brim extending outwardly therefrom and substantially normal to the axis of the crown, comprising an enclosure having a readily openable and closable door permitting ready access to the interior thereof, a hub member rotatably mounted within said enclosure for rotation about a vertical axis, a plurality of arms mounted on said hub member and extending outwardly laterally therefrom and spaced apart radially from each other, and a hat supporting pad mounted on the end of each of said arms and being adapted to fit within the crown of an associated hat and firmly to support the hat thereon -with the axis of the crown disposed along the radial support axis of said pad, said radial support axis of said pad -being disposed at an angle with respect to the radial axis of the attached varm so that the brim of the hat supported thereby is directed into the crown of an adjacent hat on an adjacent pad.

2. A hat box for storing a plurality of hats each including a hollow crown and a brim extending outwardly therefrom and substantially normal to the axis of the crown, comprising a box having a readily openable and closable door in a side wall thereof permitting ready access to the interior of the box, a hub member rotatably mounted within said enclosure for rotation about a vertical axis, a plurality of arms mounted on said hub member and extending outwardly laterally therefromand spaced apart radially from each other, and a hat supporting pad mounted on the end of each of said arms and being adapted to t within the crown of an associated hat and rmly to support the hat thereon with the axis of the crown disposed along the radial support axis of said pad, said radial support axis of said pad being disposed at an angle with respect to the radial axis of the attached arm S0 that, ih@ brim Of. the hat supported thereby is directed into the crown of an adjacent hat on an adjacent pad, said hub member being rotatable so as to carry the hats on said pads to a position in front of said door to permit convenient and selective removal of the hats from said box.

3. A hat box for storing a plurality of hats, each'including a hollow crown and a brim extending outwardly therefrom and substantially normal to the axis of the crown, comprising a box having a readily openable and closable door in a side wall thereof permitting ready access to the interior of the box, a hub member rotatably mounted within said enclosure for rotation about a vertical axis, four arms mounted on said hub member and extending outwardly laterally therefrom and spaced apart radially 90 from each other, and a hat supporting pad mounted on the end of each of said arms and being adapted to fit within the crown of an associated hat and firmly to support the hat thereon with the axis of the crown disposed along the radial support axis of said pad, said radial support axis of said pad being disposed at an angle with respect to the radial axis of the attached arm so that the brim of the hat supported thereby is directed into the crown of an adjacent hat on an adjacent pad,

said hub member being rotatable so as to carry the hats on said pads to a position in front of said door to permit convenient and selective removal of the hats from said Ibox.

4. A hat box for storing a plurality of hats each in# cluding a hollow crown and a brim extending outwardly therefrom and substantially normal to the axis of the crown, comprising an enclosure having a readily openable and closable door permitting ready access to the interior thereof, a hub member rotatably mounted within said enclosure for rotation about a vertical axis, said hub member having a plurality of openings therein arranged vert-ically therealong and angularly spaced therearound, a plurality o-f arms each including a prong disposed in one of said openings to mount said arms on said hub member with said arms extending outwardly laterally therefrom and spaced apart radially from each other, said arms being adjustable both vertically and radially about said hub member, and a hat supporting pad mounted on the end of each of said arms and being adapted to t within the crown of an associated hat and firmly to support the hat thereon with the axis of the crown disposed along the radial support axis of said pad, said radial support axis of said pad being disposed at an angle with respect to the radial axis of the attached arm so that the brim of the hat supported thereby is directed yinto the crown of an adjacent hat on an adjacent pad.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

